


Rebel Girl

by dontknowcats



Series: Thedas University [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 05:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3679695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontknowcats/pseuds/dontknowcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen and Atheva meet for the first time after a bar fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rebel Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This is a college au made with a friend, so it probably won't fit entirely with the one you have in your head.

“You know, giant robots are fucking great but the Jaegers from Pacific Rim were kind of lacking.”

“What the fuck did you say?”

Bar fights are rarely expected, but when they start with a discussion about mechs they’re even more unusual. The discussion had started with a plain-looking male asking a petite female if she wanted a drink. When she agreed, he sat beside her and happened to notice her t-shirt.

“Classic Transformers shirt, nice. Mechs are pretty cool, huh?”

“Oh, definitely. You’ve got Gundams, Jaegers, Transformers, and tons of others. I’m glad they’re getting the amount of coverage they deserve.”

That was when the male uttered the offending line that started the entire brawl. The girl had grabbed his bottle of beer and broken it over his head, prompting one of his buddies to grab the collar of her shirt. The bar seemed to take sides after that, a good group fighting to protect the small female elf.

There was a redheaded male elf that took down a good majority of the opposing forces, wielding a few knives like they were extensions of his body. He took notice when the female—who almost looked like his sister—received a sudden punch to the face, knocking her head back and forcing her down onto the floor. A loud expletive exploded from inside him, and many of his proponents took notice of their fallen ally. A man with an interesting mustache positioned himself to protect the elven male, trying to get him free enough to go save the female.

A stranger to both sides noticed the girl laying on the floor, her head rolling back and forth as she tried to fight for consciousness as if she knew she was about to get her skull crushed in by a man’s boot. The stranger stood from his quiet table and pushed his way past the various fighting couples to make his way to the elf as fast as he could.

Cullen gripped the shoulder of the man standing over her and turned him, his fist connecting perfectly with the bottom of his chin. He wasn’t sure if it was broken, but it was enough to knock the man back onto his ass and it gave the blond enough time to pick up the small girl.

She was light, easy to pick up and carry like a princess. Even with the blood running from her nose and busted lip, and the redness of what would soon turn into a bruise on her cheek, he could tell she wasn’t one to be ignored by any gender.

All he could focus on was getting her out and getting her help. He had seen her and her brother around campus a lot, so they had to be students. He ended up taking her to the health center (about a mile walk from the bar, but he didn’t mind), and she came to along the way.

“Am I dead?” were the first words out of her mouth, making him chuckle.

“No, not yet. Maybe if I hadn’t stepped in, but not yet,” he repeated once more, his trademark grin showing his pearly white teeth before looking up when he heard his name called in the distance. The redness of her cheeks was well hidden by her injuries.

“Cullen!” Josephine called once more, waving to her friend and his passenger. When she got closer to the two and saw the blood, she gasped louder. “What happened to her? Do we need to call the police?”

“No police,” the elf mumbled, shaking her head before looking back up to Josie. “You’re so pretty… Like, holy shiiittttt…”

“She’s still rather out of it,” Cullen sighed as he watched his friend giggle into her hand, “Bar fight because of… giant robots? Some guy said something about how a movie was bad and she broke a bottle over his head. I’m taking her to the health center.”

“Make sure you take note of what movie it was so you can ask to watch it with her later,” Josie replied with a knowing wink before fixing the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “I have to go meet Lily in the student union. Text me later about this, alright?”

“She’s not single?! Noooooo…” The redhead’s voice trailed off and her eyes closed once more. She was out once again.

“There’s nothing going on— Oh forget it,” Cullen sighed, watching Josephine walk away while tapping away on her phone. No doubt planning some event for her sorority, working with the student government, or emailing a professor. _How is she even able to meet with Leliana right now?_

It didn’t take much longer for the two to finally arrive at the health center, where a middle-age female nurse glared at Cullen when she saw the state the elf was in.

“I didn’t do it! She got into a fight with some guy and I stepped in!” He explained before dropping his head as the nurse led them back towards an empty room. He laid the stranger down on the cot and sighed as the nurse checked her pockets for a wallet.

“Is she a student here?” The woman asked when she found no identification on the girl’s body.

“I have no clue. I see her around every few days but I can’t say for sure…”

“Alright, well, she’ll have to wake up soon. For now hold this ice on her cheek so it doesn’t swell.”

Cullen did as he was told, never one to turn down the opportunity to help. The nurse left the room, leaving him standing over a stranger and holding ice to her face. With his free hand he reached into his pants pocket for his phone and unlocked it. Josephine wanted him to text him, and he was never one to ignore a request from his student government president and secretary for P.R.I.D.E.

_What was that about taking notes on what movies she likes?_

_Don’t tell me you don’t even know!_

_Know what?!_

_omg_

With a soft groan, Cullen rolled his eyes and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He didn’t even realize that the girl was awake.

“What’s up?” She asked, giving a little wave.

“Oh! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were awake,” he said, fumbling with the ice to press it back against her cheek. She covered his hand with hers, and his skin burned at her touch. He pulled his hand away and quickly laid it against the back of his neck, not realizing it would be so cold.

“It’s fine,” she said, wincing as she attempted to sit up. “Okay, can’t do that yet.”

“Um, so the nurse wanted to know when you woke up, so I should go tell her… Oh, and are you a student here?”

“Just tell her it’s Atheva… Mimi knows me, I’m the derby girl.”

“Derby— Alright then.” He replied with a shrug before walking out into the hallway and making his way back to the waiting room.

He explained the situation to the nurse, who called Mimi. It turned out that Atheva was a regular in the health center, mainly on the days of a derby. She was easily treated with a bottle of ibuprofen and a few bags of ice, maybe stiches when needed. The nurse told him to take a seat in the waiting area while she went to check on Atheva.

Unknown to him, the elf had been faking it the entire time. At least, she faked being passed out for so long. She explained to the nurse that it was just a dumb crush but it was nice to be in his arms and the nurse merely shook her head.

“Say no more.”

When he returned to the room, he wasn’t sure what to say.

“So… Is your brother going to show up soon?” He asked.

“Oh, he isn’t my brother. Pairos is my dad’s aunt’s twice-removed cousin’s granddaughter’s sister’s kid.” His blank stare conveyed enough emotion for the girl to giggle and shake her head. “We’re not related. We get it enough that we fuck with people who mention us being siblings.”

“Well, he was too busy punching people and… I think he had knives on him? Anyway, he was too busy to do it himself. Are you feeling okay?” He explained before asking her one of the more important questions on his mind.

“It’s whatever, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m Cullen Rutherford.” He said before extending a polite hand, which she promptly shook with a surprisingly tight grip.

“Atheva Lavellan. Thanks for helping a girl out. Now, I don’t live very far off campus, but I’m too dizzy to really move. Mind giving me a piggyback ride?”


End file.
